9112 Birds. 
Immense Flight of Swallows—Three immense flocks of swallows passed over the 
island of Portsea on the night and morning of the 10th and 11th of May, going east 
or north-east. My attention was first directed to them by the noise they made in 
passing: the night was dark and cloudy, so that the first and second divisions could 
not be seen; but the noise of the first division was heard a few minutes after eleven, 
and continued until twelve o’clock, when all was still till thirty minutes past twelve, 
when the second division was heard passing over, their noise continuing to be heard 
until twenty minutes after one, when it ceased. The morning broke beautifully clear, 
and at half-past three the third and last division was seen passing ; they were making 
no noise and flying steadily over. Dv birds of passage make a noise at night for the 
purpose of keeping themselves together? If not, why, in this instance, did it cease at 
daylight? These observations can be authenticated by two gentlemen who were with 
me the whole of the night, taking ten minutes’ observations on the pressure of gas, at 
one of the public lamps in the Landport district—Henry Moncreaff'; Southsea, 
May 26, 1864. 
Extraordinary Flight of Swallows.—The following letter appeared in the ‘ Exeter 
and Plymouth Gazette’ of the 14th of May, and as it is unusual to see swallows 
migrating in such extraordinary numbers as therein described, and especially in a 
southerly direction at this time of the year, I have, as it is a short communication, 
copied it verbatim :— 
“ To the Editor of the ‘ Plymouth and Exeter Gazette.’ 
“ Sir,—Perhaps the following circumstance may be interesting to some of your 
readers. On Saturday evening last, whilst standing with a friend in my garden, 
between the hours of seven and eight, we observed a large flight of birds approaching, 
which proved to be swallows. I should say the flight extended over a space of nearly 
a mile in length, by one-third of a mile in breadth, and that they were many thousands 
in number. The course they took was from north to south. 
“T am, yours truly, 
“Tustow, May 12th, 1864.” “KE. T. FERNANDEZ. 
I wrote to Mr. Fernandez, and requested him to be good enough to furnish me 
with any further particulars on the subject, and also to allow me to make use of the 
above, and received in reply an answer, the substance of which is as fullows:—The 
birds were the common swallow (Hirundo rustica, Liun.), and flew in rather a scattered 
manner, but evenly so, over the space they occupied, all taking the same course from 
north to south: they were from two to three gun-shots high, and appeared to be in 
rather a fatigued condition: one alighted on a telegraph wire, and did not leave until 
nearly all the rest had passed. It is well known that these birds congregate in large 
flocks in the autumn before leaving us, but on arriving in spring they are generally 
seen in pairs. I should like to know if any of the readers of the ‘ Zoologist’ have 
ever observed a similar migration at this time of the year—G. F. Mathews; H.M.S, 
Warrior, Plymouth, May 21, 1864. 
Arrival of Swallows, Martins and Sand Martins at Blackheath—At 5.15 P.M. on 
Friday, the 8th of April, I saw one swallow fly over St. Germain’s Place, Blackheath: 
its flight was due east, weak and weary. On Thursday afternoon, the 21st of April, 
I saw a pair of swallows and four sand martins flying about the round pond in Black- 
heath Park. In the afternoon of Tuesday, the 26th of April, I saw a house martin 
